If A Plane Crashes — Be Ready!

More than 470 people died in airline accidents in 2010, the latest year for which the National Transportation Safety Board reports. That’s many fewer lives than are killed each year on highways, nearly 33,000. Still, you’ll probably have an airline crash to cover in your career. Are you ready?

One of the mantras I distinctly being told in the TV newsroom when I first started: If there’s a plane crach, first at the scene, get the tail number. The tail number is the key to finding much more. Plug that number into the online site, Landings.com and you can find the plane’s registration, model number, read any previous problems with the plane (known as service difficulty reports), and more.

The tail number begins with a N and you put it into the search box on this Landings.com page. See the screenshot clip at the right for a list of lots of other helpful information at the Landings site.